2020 Subaru Forester Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 103 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2020 Subaru Forester, 17% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 2,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “start stop” (10% of reports).
- 103electrical system complaints
- 2,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 50%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Start stop: mentioned in 10 of 103 complaints (10%)
- Park restart: mentioned in 8 of 103 complaints (8%)
- Battery dead: mentioned in 7 of 103 complaints (7%)
- Thermo control: mentioned in 6 of 103 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 20 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 103 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 1 an injury.
Subaru Forester electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Forester | 6 | 21% | 6,000 |
| 2025 Forester | 8 | 8% | 100 |
| 2024 Forester | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2023 Forester | 8 | 11% | — |
| 2022 Forester | 10 | 10% | 18,100 |
| 2021 Forester | 33 | 16% | 14,376 |
| 2020 Forester | 103 | 17% | 2,000 |
| 2019 Forester | 134 | 16% | 8,700 |
| 2018 Forester | 71 | 14% | 9,418 |
| 2017 Forester | 106 | 18% | 38,000 |
| 2016 Forester | 93 | 22% | 39,795 |
| 2015 Forester | 82 | 13% | 40,000 |
| 2014 Forester | 42 | 10% | 61,222 |
| 2013 Forester | 3 | 4% | 10,000 |
| 2012 Forester | 10 | 10% | 60,618 |
| 2011 Forester | 11 | 7% | 63,000 |
| 2010 Forester | 13 | 5% | 69,733 |
| 2009 Forester | 22 | 12% | 57,500 |
| 2008 Forester | 5 | 10% | 90,000 |
| 2007 Forester | 5 | 7% | 86,000 |
| 2006 Forester | 7 | 8% | 82,000 |
| 2005 Forester | 3 | 3% | 23,524 |
| 2004 Forester | 4 | 2% | 48,750 |
| 2003 Forester | 4 | 2% | 64,500 |
| 2001 Forester | 2 | 1% | 189,000 |
| 2000 Forester | 1 | 1% | — |
| 1999 Forester | 4 | 3% | 175,000 |
| 1998 Forester | 6 | 6% | 98,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists electrical system for the 2020 Subaru Forester. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Experienced parasitic battery drain which disabled the vehicle. The drain is tied to a 30 amp fuse labeled "BACKUP" under the hood of the vehicle. This fuse controls the touchscreen, backup camera, interior lights, key fob and radio. There were no warning lights or trouble codes associated with…
Smoke and fire occurred in the engine and spread into the car while the car was being driven. The car has not been inspected yet.
24th February 2020 - Bought the car from Subaru dealer. Couple of service records prior to May 24, 2022. - May 24, 2022 (9,037 miles) | RO# 806326: The lower oil pan leaked prematurely and had to be completely replaced under warranty. During the same visit, explained LONG BRAKE PEDAL issue, and was…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2020 Subaru Foresters have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 103 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2020 Subaru Forester (17% of the 603 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2020 Subaru Forester electrical system?
No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 2,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2020 Subaru Forester?
The most frequent phrase is “start stop”, in 10 of 103 complaints, followed by “park restart” (8).
Other 2020 Subaru Forester problems
- Visibility/wiper problems (252)
- Engine problems (81)
See all 2020 Subaru Forester problems or electrical system problems across all Forester years.